Material and Imaginative Worlds

Curated by Sarah Willoughby ’25

The natural environment, with its shades and hues, beauty and monstrosity, has been an inspiration for humans since the beginning of time. The tradition of painting landscapes has persisted through changes in style and taste. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Western artists vied for approval from the Paris Salon and the Académie des Beaux-Arts, where strict juries accepted only what they deemed worthy as “fine art.” Until the mid-19th century, the only landscapes admitted into the Salon used landscape as a backdrop for historical or allegorical scenes. Artists of the Barbizon and Boston schools favored the romanticized landscape, usually devoid of human life. Contemporary artists continue to innovate and draw from a changing landscape, especially in response to climate change, wars, and human intervention.

View the Exhibition Guide here